This string of homey bungalows is right in the Goldilocks zone—close to Puerto Viejo but not too close, inexpensive but not too cheap, surrounded by jungle but right across from the beach. Built by New York transplant Eddie Ryan in the mid-1990s in a style he calls “rustic elegance,” the hotel has 8 stilt-raised bungalows  where arches and curves are favored over 90-degree angles. Furniture is handmade from local lumber, often using whole tree limbs, roots, and trunk sections. Each room has its own porch with hammocks, and sightings of monkeys, sloths, anteaters, and toucans are not uncommon. Rooms are equipped with ceiling fans and stand-up fans and have hot water and safes, and some have delightfully whimsical Flintstones-style bathrooms. The hotel welcomes pets, with three rules: No barking, no biting, and no sleeping in the bed. The Qué Rico Papito restaurant is excellent and features live music twice a week. Eddie’s wife, Auxi, runs the on-site Indulgence Spa & Beauty Salon, where you can get a massage, facial, waxing, mani/pedi, body treatment, or haircut.